Aliens and the Antichrist: Unveiling the End Times Deception (27 page)

2.1.1. Details Concerning the Rapture of the Church

To begin with, the rapture of the church is defined as the catching up of all true believers of Christ to meet the Lord in the air. Clearly this event is prophesied to occur in the future in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:23, 51-58; Philippians 3:20-21; John 14:1-3; Luke 21:34-36; Colossians 3:4, and others.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
(bold emphasis added)

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:23

But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58
(bold emphasis and bracketed comments added)

Behold, I show you a mystery;
we shall not all sleep
[many will never physically die],
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and
we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, and then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Philippians 3:20-21
(bold emphasis added)

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,
according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

John 14:1-3
(bold emphasis added)

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Luke 21:34-36
(bold emphasis added)

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man.

Colossians 3:4
(bold emphasis added)

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory…

For those who can read these scriptures, especially 1 Thessalonians 4:13—17, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, and not believe that the Bible clearly speaks of a rapture, I’m at a loss about what to say. It’s too clearly stated to be confusing. Fortunately, I’ve found that most Christians believe that a rapture will occur; it’s just the time frame of the rapture that is usually in contention.

Following are the distinguishing characteristics of the rapture of the church:

•   The rapture of the church is a New Testament doctrine never revealed to anyone in the Old Testament; it was first alluded to by Jesus (Luke 21:34— 36—see above), and then revealed to Paul in detail as a special revelation (1 Corinthians 15:51—58—see above; 2 Thessalonians 2:6—8).

2 Thessalonians 2:6—8
(bold emphasis and bracketed comments added)

And now ye know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let,
until he [the church] be taken out of the way [raptured]
. And

then shall that Wicked [the Antichrist] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.

•   The rapture of the church can occur at any time and requires no fulfillment of prophecy or any sign (early Christians were looking for the rapture of the church at any time in their day without any particular prophecy being fulfilled—Philippians 3:20—21; Luke 21:34—36—see above; Titus 2:11— 13).

Titus 2:11—13
(bold emphasis added)

For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

•   The rapture of the church will occur before the great tribulation (Luke 21:34—36; 2 Thessalonians 2:6—8; Revelation 1:19; 4:1—further explanation of this conclusion is given later in this chapter).

•   Christ will
appear
visibly only to the saints in the air during the rapture of the church. The Greek word for “appear” is “phaneros,” means “to shine,”

“be apparent,” “manifest,” or “be seen,” found in John 2:28, 3:2; 1 Peter 5:4; Colossians 3:4. Christ is to appear to the saints in the air at the rapture, but nothing is said of his appearing to the rest of Earth.

• During the rapture of the church, Christ will never set foot on Earth, but rather fly above it in the air. As soon as all the dead in Christ have met him in the air, he will return to heaven with them to present them blameless before God (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:16-17, and others).

John 14:1-3
(bold emphasis added)

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

1 Thessalonians 3:13
(bold emphasis added)

To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

2.1.2. Details Concerning the Second Advent of Christ

The second advent of Christ is defined as the physical return of Christ in bodily form to Earth (Zechariah 14:1-9; Matthew 24:29-31; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-21) to establish his kingdom where he will rule on Earth over all nations forever (Daniel 2:44-45, 7:13-14, 7:18; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 11:15).

Matthew 24:29-31
(bold emphasis added)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Acts 1:11

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Revelation 19:11-21
(bold emphasis added)

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but Him. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
.And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Daniel 2:44-45
(bold emphasis added)

And in the days of these kings shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Isaiah 9:6-7
(bold emphasis added)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Luke 1:32-33
(bold emphasis added)

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And
He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

When he returns in the second advent, he will return during the battle of Armageddon, which will be waged between the armies of heaven under him, and the armies of Earth under Antichrist (Zechariah 14; Joel 3; Revelation 19:1121).

Joel 3:15-16

The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

On this occasion, Jesus’s return will be visible to all of humanity (Hebrews 9:28, Isaiah 66:15-16, and other passages where it is obvious that God’s activities won’t be hidden from the people of Earth). And just as it is so popularly predicted in Hollywood, these otherworldly beings in their magnificent assembly of unbelievably awesome arsenal will rain down complete and utter destruction on the inhabitants of Earth below (Isaiah 66:15-16)—except, unlike in Hollywood movies, most of the people of Earth will be the bad guys in this case!

Isaiah 66:15-16
(bold emphasis added)

For, behold,
the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind,
to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and
the slain of the LORD shall be many.